Of the 533,415 members in NYSLRS, 32,470 are in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS). More than 6,000 of these brave men and women are firefighters.

NYSLRS Membership and Firefighters

All firefighters working for participating employers are PFRS members. With that membership comes a variety of benefits, including certain death and disability benefits as well as a pension. As firefighters and other PFRS members progress through their careers they become eligible for these benefits. For example, from day one, PFRS members are covered by job-related death and disability benefits. However, with ten years of service credit, most members are also eligible for a non-job-related disability benefit.

In addition, most PFRS employers offer their employees special retirement plans. A special plan lets members retire after completing 20 or 25 years of credited service in specific job titles rather than reaching a certain age. Most firefighters — and, in fact, nearly 80 percent of all PFRS members (25,784) — are enrolled in a set of special 20- and 25-year plans. Whether members need 20 or 25 years depends on their retirement plan.

NYSLRS manages more than 300 retirement plans for its members. You can group them into two main types: regular plans and special plans. Under a regular plan, you need to reach certain age and service requirements to receive a pension. For instance, if you’re a Tier 4 member in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), you’re eligible for a benefit when you’re 55 with five or more years of service credit. Most of our ERS members are in regular plans.

Special plans are a little different. Under a special plan, you can retire at any age if you have the full amount of service credit required. In NYSLRS, special plan members can receive a pension after completing 20 or 25 years of service. Special plans exist in both ERS and the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS).

Special Plans for Special Services to the State

As of March 31, 2015, there are 38,687 active ERS members and 30,754 active PFRS members in special plans. These members are part of the uniformed services. They fill titles such as:

Police officers

Firefighters

Correction officers

Sheriffs, undersheriffs, and deputy sheriffs

Security hospital treatment assistants

Public employees like ones listed above and in other similar titles face dangers and difficulties throughout their careers. They serve unique roles in the State, from fighting fires to patrolling our neighborhoods to assisting ill patients and more. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank this 13 percent of our active membership for the challenging, sometimes life-threatening work they do each day. You render special service to New York and its people, and we are grateful.

If you’d like to learn more about your retirement plan, please review your plan publication on our website.